2day's recipe: Crisp Oven Roasted Chicken with Rosemary Potatoes - a favorite!

This is one of our favorite dishes.  It is easy and you can change up the flavors and it still works wonderfully.  It is comforting and fills your kitchen with the best smells.  I use at least 2 lemons and several stalks of rosemary. I also don't always have the time to let this chicken sit in the fridge and find that if it sits for just a few minutes the results are awesome Enjoy :-)

Crisp Oven Roasted Chicken with Rosemary Potatoes
Yields: 4 Servings

Ingredients
1 (3-pound) chicken
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 or more sprigs fresh rosemary 1/2 or more lemon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery coarsely chopped
1 large onion coarsely chopped
3/4 cup white wine
3/4 chicken stock
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Oven Roasted Potatoes:
2 pounds small red white, or Yukon gold potatoes
1 + tablespoon olive oil
3 to 4 sprigs rosemary coarse salt to taste


Instructions
1. Season chicken cavity with salt and pepper, add rosemary, and squeeze in lemon juice. Leave squeezed lemon half or 2 inside cavity. Place chicken on a cake rack over a plate, and leave uncovered in refrigerator overnight, or for at least 8 hours.  This will work even if you forget to let this sit overnight.  A few mins work, just add extra lemons and rosemary.

2. Preheat oven to 450 F.

3. Add 1 - 2 tablespoon of the butter in the bottom of a heavy gratin or shallow roasting pan just large enough to hold the chicken. Add carrots, celery and onion. Brush remaining butter over chicken, and put it breast up on the vegetables. I zest the lemons, fresh rosemary (cut the rosemary up to smaller leaves)add salt & pepper, minced or crushed garlic in a little bowl and put this mixture under the skin of the chicken.  Take a couple tablespoons & put that under the skin as well. Lot of flavor!!   Put pan in oven with legs facing toward back of oven.

4. Adjust heat down to 400 F., and roast until skin is rich brown, and leg moves easily in the socket, about 1 hour and 20 minutes, basting with pan drippings every 20 minutes. Place oven roasted potatoes (below) in oven after 15 to 20 minutes. After chicken has roasted for 40mins, pour wine and stock over vegetables, and continue roasting until chicken is done.

5. Turn oven off, transfer chicken to a platter, and keep warm in oven while finishing sauce. Scrape vegetables and pan drippings into a food processor and purre until almost smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir in parsley.  Now - you don't have to make the sauce if you don't have the time, you can serve the veggies with the chicken and they are awesome.  See - many ways to change this recipe up!

6. Cut chicken into serving pieces, and put on plates or serving platter. Spoon on a small amount of sauce and pass remainders at table.


Oven roasted potatoes:
1. Preheat oven to 350 or 400 F. (Temperature and cooking time may be varied to accommodate other foods being cooked at the same time.)

2. Scrub potatoes, blot dry, and cut away any large blemishes. Depending on size, cut each potato into quarters, halves or eighths. Pour oil into a large, flat roasting pan or jelly roll pan. Toss potatoes with oil, and add rosemary sprigs. Roast until potatoes are crisp and golden brown, about 1 hour to 1 1/4 hours, turning occasionally with a spatula. Sprinkle on coarse salt and serve.